Legendary wreck of British Second World War submarine found off Sardinian coast

After decades of speculation, an Italian scuba diver claims to have located the legendary wreck of the British submarine HMS P311, which went missing off the coast of Sardinia during World War II.

Expert diver and shipwreck hunter Massimo Bondone, 58, of Genoa confirmed to reporters after a second dive on Wednesday that he had located the long-lost submarine at a depth of approximately 80 metres, about 5 nautical miles east of the isle of Tavolara, off Sardinia.

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The P311 left Malta in December of 1942 with a crew of 71 submariners to participate in an Allied attack on Italian warships off Sardinia, but vanished in January 1943, most likely after hitting a mine.

HMS P311 was the only boat of her class never to be given a name. She was to have recieved the name HMS Tutankhamen but was lost before this was formally done.

Mr Bondone, known as the "wreck hunter", told local media:

"Immediately I thought of the destiny of the men who met their deaths down there.

"It was a fate shared by so many men, submariners in particular, on both sides of the conflict."

Local fisherman at the time reported hearing a loud rumble at night, according to La Nuova Sardegna.

Paola Pegoraro of the L’Orso diving club, which provided logistics for Mr Bondone's shipwreck search operation, told The Telegraph that Mr Bondone was able to positively identify the submarine as the P311 by the two Chariot-style “human torpedoes” that are affixed to the outside of the vessel.

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“It is 100 per cent the P311, as this was the only submarine with those very special characteristics that set it apart,” said Ms Pegararo.

“He went down Sunday with a go-pro on his helmet, but decided to go down again today with lights to take better quality video. He has made all the announcements to the competent authorities.”

Mr Bondone dove to a depth of 103 meters to explore the submarine, which he reported as intact, with some damage to the bow believed to be from a mine, but otherwise “hermetically sealed.”

“When it sunk, it went straight down as it is intact on the seabed, and still very well preserved, with a lot of crustaceans and colourful marine life," Ms Pegararo said.

"It looks like it probably went down with air sealed inside, leaving the crew to die eventually of oxygen deprivation," Mr Bondone told La Nuova Sardegna.

HMS P 311 was lost while engaged in Operation Principle, the Chariot attack on Italian cruisers at La Maddalena.